Dock repairs set for Wai'anae Boat Harbor
By James Gonser
Advertiser Leeward Bureau
WAI'ANAE — Help has arrived for fishermen using Wai'anae Boat Harbor, with the state completing emergency repairs to launch ramps and the Legislature providing $850,000 to replace cracked concrete docks.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Repairs to the launch ramps, finished this week, were critical because the ramps are used extensively during the annual Ahi Fever fishing tournament set for next month and by fishermen all summer.
Harbormaster William Aila was forced to shut down crumbling concrete docks and five launch lanes at Wai'anae Boat Harbor. The Legislature has allocated $850,000 for repairs to the docks.
The ramps had deteriorated to the point that they were a safety hazard and had to be closed.
The larger problem at the harbor is the crumbling concrete docks, which have forced the closure of 30 boat slips due to safety concerns.
"We are very fortunate to have this money in the budget for the harbor," said Steve Thompson, O'ahu boating division manager for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. "We ... will be back in business soon."
The concrete on three of four launch ramp piers and the docks inside the harbor began cracking this year, with rusted steel reinforcing bar showing through.
That forced harbormaster William Aila to shut down the docks and five of the seven launch lanes because their use could have resulted in injuries or damage to boats.
Aila said the closure of 30 boats slips reduced the harbor's capacity from 146 boats to 116, but no one has been displaced.
He expects to close at least a few more slips before repair work is completed.
Aila said the DNLR performed emergency repairs to reopen the launch ramps and built support columns under the docks to hold them in place.
Aila said Wai'anae Boat Harbor is the busiest harbor in the state during ahi season.
Ahi are yellowfin tuna that migrate to Hawai'i near Memorial Day and leave in September after spawning. The average fish weighs between 120 and 200 pounds.
"The launch ramps are no longer a concern for Ahi Fever or any of our normal summer fishing activities," Aila said.
Thompson said design work for the new docks inside the harbor will begin later this year and construction should begin sometime in 2002.
Thompson could not say why the concrete docks, which were installed about 20 years ago, have deteriorated so quickly, but said their failure is premature.
The replacement docks will look similar to the existing docks but use better concrete, rust inhibitors and water sealant to assure they last longer, he said.
Gov. Ben Cayetano asked for $100,000 to plan and design the new docks and $750,000 for construction in his two-year budget submitted to the Legislature in December, but the House cut the financing.
Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Barbers Point, Makaha), was successful in getting the money put it back in.
Ed Nelson, chairman of Ahi Fever, said the fishing tournament is the largest event of its type in the state and that 232 entries have been filled. Fewer than 30 spots remain for the event scheduled for June 16-17.
"The pressure the fishermen and the Leeward Coast citizens put on the representatives really made a big difference," Nelson said. "It really got it across how important that harbor is to us out here and how much income it generates for the coast. "
Nelson said because so many slips will remain closed at Wai'anae during the tournament, Ko Olina Marina has donated the use of 12 slips for participants.
